Billboard Music Awards 2011: Best Dressed

After a four-year hiatus, the Billboard Music Awards returned last night with a star studded red carpet fashion bang.  Our favorite divas made their dazzling debut on the white carpet to enter the competition for best dressed.

    Taylor Swift gets my vote for 3^rd place. Not that it’s a surprise to anyone anymore, but Taylor Swift hit the red carpet, in an uber embellished light colored floor grazing gown from the Elie Saab Spring-Summer 2011 collection. She added red lips to her blush-toned, beaded strapless gown and donned elegant wavy hair. Though it’s a habitual look of hers, she still looked absolutely beautiful.

    Selena Gomez may still be signed with Disney but she walked onto the white carpet looking sexier than she ever has in a black Dolce & Gabanna floor length dress. She boasted a low cut top, a thigh-high slit, and side cut-outs which exposed her hips. Adding to the sultriness of the look,  Selena wore her hair long and  straight and paired her outfit with Neil Lane jewelry, red Giuseppe Zanotti heels and a Judith Leiber clutch.
 

    At the top of my best dressed list is Rihanna, who usually dresses provocatively for awards shows. However she toned it down last night by opting for an elegantly tailored and sophisticated white Max Azria suit and nude Christian Louboutin pumps. Her white, button less silk blouse was open down to her navel where she showcased a gold fringe Solange Azagury-Partridge tassel necklace. Her red hair really popped against the white suit and it completed the whole look.

Royal Wedding Recap

     When Catherine Middleton stepped out of the vintage Rolls Royce Phantom, she stepped straight onto the pages of fashion history, revealing for the first time her wedding dress to a world audience, estimated at around two billion people. She carried a small bouquet of flowers which bore a secret love message to her future husband.

     The wedding dress was a model of luxurious simplicity, perfectly suitable to the sweet and serene style of the woman who is now the Duchess of Cambridge and is destined to be the future Queen of England.

The dress was designed by Sarah Burton, the creative director of Alexander McQueen. It was made of ivory and white satin gazar. It features English lace and French Chantilly lace throughout the bodice and skirt. Kate also wore a veil of ivory silk tulle held in place by a Cartier “halo” tiara borrowed from the Queen.

     Kate walked up the aisle and every eye was on her. “You look beautiful”, Prince William whispered as his bride reached his side and the two billion royal wedding watchers around the world including me would definitely agree. Kate was a vision of true beauty and the gown wasn’t one of a woman aspiring to be a fashion icon, but rather one who was supremely secure in her sense of self.

Wrist Art

      Remember that old charm bracelet you got in 7^th grade? And those piles of bangles you’d stack up on your wrists? What about that old scarf you  never seem to wear? Well combine them all, and you have an armful of glamour waiting to happen!

      Once upon a time, the trend was to wear one simple tennis bracelet, or a large cocktail ring. Well that was before, and now the look du jour is wearing all your finest arm candy at once. Charm bracelets, cuffs, wrap bracelets, stacked bangles, and watches worn together; the more colorful and diverse the texture and material of your arm-wear, the better you will look. The trend is a collage of multiple bracelets and watches on one arm consisting of different metals, textures and shapes. Think of it this way- its art for your wrists.

      Don’t be afraid to mix large items with smaller pieces! Just make sure they don’t pile up on each other so you can’t tell them apart. So push your sleeves up, throw on everything you have, and hit the streets in one of the hottest trends of the spring!

Tye Dye To Die For.

The new Brooklyn-based brand Upstate makes one-of-a-kind dyed scarves, handkerchiefs, and vests. But don’t assume this is your typical DIY project. Instead, designers Kalen and Astrid use the Japanese technique of shibori, which binds, folds, and compresses the fabric into a million different intricate patterns. The result? These wear-everywhere pieces are high fashions take on the summer camp classic that we’d actually want to wear.